This is easily the coolest part of the DLC. What Vergil lacks in diversity he makes up for in sheer style. You’ll string together quick Iaido strikes with slow punishing blows. You’ll ensnare your opponents in a forest of swords and then cause the ground to quake and explode, blowing them all up. Vergil’s combos have ten times the style as Dante’s, because he isn’t awkwardly switching weapons out in the middle. And yes, you do get to use all the attacks that Vergil used against you in the final boss fight, as well as some iconic Vergil moves from Devil May Cry’s past, like Spiral Swords.

The only place where Vergil’s gameplay suffers is in his ranged capabilities. Since he isn’t the type to use guns, he instead fires sword projectiles at his enemies. While they work just fine in combat, they are kind of lame in the platforming department. His blue angelic projectile teleports him to where it lands, while his red demonic projectile teleports his target toward him. Sure, they have a different flavor, but they don’t really act any differently from Dante’s whips. His neutral projectile can cause hidden platforms to appear, which is pretty cool, but overall, his projectiles feel like the weakest part of his battle design.

Vergil’s Downfall has some noticeable problems. It’s short (only three to five hours), it feels highly reused, and it’s a huge departure from the tone of DmC. However, the tragic story of Vergil and the comic-book way it is told, as well as the ability to play as Vergil himself, make these few short chapters more than worth getting. This content may not be quite as good as the original game, but it’s a must-have for any fan of the Devil May Cry series.

ByAngelo M. D’Argenio
Contributing Writer
Date: March 5, 2013

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.9

GraphicsThe DmC graphics engine is still impressive, but it’s used to show us repetitive levels that start to wear on you by the end of the game.